Che originali! & Pigmalione

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Che originali! and Pigmalione opera double feature directed and staged 2017 by Roberto Catalano at the Fondazione Donizetti in Bergamo.

  1. Giovanni Simone Mayr Che originali! to libretto by Gaetano Rossi. Stars Bruno de Simone (Don Febeo), Chiara Amarù (Donna Aristea), Leonardo Cortellazzi (Don Carolino), Angela Nisi (Donna Rosina), Omar Montanari (Biscroma), Gioia Crepaldi (Celestina), and Pietro Di Bianco (Carluccio).

  2. Gaetano Donizetti Pigmalione to libretto by Simeone Antonio Sografi. Stars Antonio Siragusa (Pigmalione), and Aya Wakizono (Galatea).

Gianluca Capuano conducts the Orchestra dell'Accademia Teatro alla Scala (assistant conductor Roberto Frattini). Set design by Emanuele Sinisi; costume design by Ilaria Ariemme; lighting design by Alessandro Andreoli. Directed for TV by Matteo Ricchetti. Released 2018, disc has 5.1 dts-HD Master Audio sound. Grade: NA

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Babel 7.16

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Babel 7.16 dance production. Music by Patrizia Bovi, Mahabub Khan, Sattar Khan, Gabriele Miracle, and Shogo Yoshii with music advisor Fahrettin Yarkin. Choreographed by Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui and Damien Jalet. Performed 2016 at the Festival d'Avignon in a courtyard of the Papal Palace. Text from Lou Cope, Vilayanur Ramachandran, Nicole Krauss, and Karthika Naïr. Stars Aimilios Arapoglou, Magali Casters, Navala "Niku" Chaudhari, Sandra Delgadillo, Francis Ducharme, Jon Filip Fahlstrøm, Leif Federico Firnhaber, Darryl E. Woods, Damien Fournier, Benfury, Aliashka Hilsum, Ulrika Kinn Svensson, Kazutomi "Tsuki" Kozuki, Paea Leach, Princess Madoki, Christine Leboutte, Nemo Oeghoede, James O'Hara, Helder Seabra, Mohamed Toukabri, Majon van der Schot, and James Vu Anh Pham. Stage design by Antony Gormley; costumes by Alexandra Gilbert; lighting by Urs Schoenebaum and Adam Carrée; dramaturgy by Lou Cope. Directed for TV by Roberto Maria Grassi. Released 2018, disc has PCM stereo sound. Grade: B-

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C(H)ŒURS Choirs/Hearts: A Contemporary Ballet

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C(H)ŒURS ("Choirs/Hearts") dance production. Choreographed and directed 2012 by Alan Platel at the Teatro Real in Madrid. Music by Verdi and Wagner; additional music by Steven Prengels; short spoken part with words of Desmond Tutu. Features dancers from Patel's dance company, les ballets C de la B: Bérengère Bodin, Daisy Ransom Phillips, Ido Batash, Juliana Neves, Lisi Estaras, Quan Bui Ngoc, Roman Guion, Rumeu Runa, Rosalba Torres Guerrero, and Serge Aimé Coulibaly. The other star of this show is the Chorus of the Teatro Real (and individual members thereof).  Consuelo Garres is a chorus member who sings solo. Two boys, Martin López Malgesini and Nicolás Del Real Sasaki, join the Chorus for special roles.

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Sideshow

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Steven Kazuo Takasugi Sideshow concert. Directed 2018 by Steven Kazuo Takasugi and performed by the Talea Ensemble in New York. The Talea Ensemble features Barry J. Crawford (flute/piccolo), Rane Moore (clarinet), Ryan Muncy (alto saxophone), Alex Lipowski (percussion/vocals), Stephen Gosling (piano), Yuki Numata Resnick (violin), Elizabeth Helgeson (viola), Chris Gross (cello), and David Adamcyk (electronics). Production supervisor was Brent Ness; audio production assistant was Sam Torres; audio production by David Adamcyk; video production by Four/Ten Media; cinematography by Evan Chapman and Kevin Eikenberg. Also features 46 minutes of interviews with the composer and the players. Released 2018, disc has stereo sound only. Grade: NA

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Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg

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Wagner Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg opera to a libretto by the composer. Directed 2017 by Barrie Kosky at the Bayreuth Festival. Stars Michael Volle (Hans Sachs), Günther Groissböck (Veit Pogner), Johannes Martin Kränzle (Sixtus Beckmesser), Klaus Florian Vogt (Walther von Stolzing), Daniel Behle (David), Anne Schwanewilms (Eva), and Wiebke Lehmkuhl (Magdalene). Philippe Jordan conducts the Bayreuth Festival Orchestra and Chorus (Chorus Master Eberhard Friedrich). Stage design by Rebecca Ringst; costume design by Klaus Bruns; lighting design by Franck Evin; video by Regine Freise; dramaturgy by Ulrich Lenz. Released 2018, disc has 5.0 dts-HD Master Audio sound. Grade: NA

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1984

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1984 ballet based on the novel 1984 by George Orwell. Choreographed and directed 2015 by Johnathan Watkins at the Northern Ballet in Leeds, England. Music by Alex Baranowski. Stars Tobias Batley (Winston Smith), Martha Leebolt (Julia), Javier Torres (O'Brien), Hironao Takahashi (Mr. Charrington), Giuliano Contadini (Parsons), Kevin Poeung (Ampleforth), Ashley Dixon (Martin), Victoria Sibson (Lead Prole), and other artists from the Northern Ballet. John Pryce-Jones conducts the Northern Ballet Sinfonia (Leader Geoffrey Allan). Set and costume design by Simon Daw; lighting by Chris Davey; video designs by Andrzej Goulding; dramaturgy by Ruth Little; production management by Steve Wilkins. Directed for TV by Ross MacGibbon. Released 2018, disc has 5.1 dts-HD Master Audio sound. Grade: B

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Rachmaninov Piano Concerto No. 3 and Stravinksy Le Sacre du Printemps

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Rachmaninov Piano Concerto No. 3 and Stravinsky Le Sacre du Printemps concert. Performed 2009 at the Waldbuhne, Berlin. Sir Simon Rattle conducts the Berliner Philharmoniker. Features soloist Yefim Bronfman (piano). Here’s the program:

  • Tchaikovsky “Overture,” “The Christmas Tree,” March,” and “Pas de deux” from The Nutcracker

  • Rachmaninov Piano Concerto No. 3

  • Stravinsky Le Sacre du Printemps

Released 2009, disc has 5.1 dts-HD Master Audio sound. Grade: NA

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La Fanciulla del West

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Puccini La Fanciulla del West opera to a libretto by Guelfo Civinini and Carlo Zangarini. Directed 2017 by Hugo de Ana. Stars Emily Magee (Minnie), Roberto Aronica (Dick Johnson), Claudio Sgura (Jack Rance), Bruno Lazzaretti (Nick), John Paul Huckle (Ashby), Gianfranco Montresor (Sonora), Paolo Orecchia (Sid), Antonello Ceron (Trin), Tommaso Barea (Bello), Orlando Polidoro (Harry), Enrico Cossutta (Joe), Ivan Marino (Happy), Donato Di Gioia (Larkens), Enrico Marchesini (Billy Jackrabbit), Alessandra Visentin (Wowkle), Carlo Checchi (Jake Wallace), Francesco Musinu (José Castro), and Armando Valentino (Un Postiglione). Juraj Valčuha conducts the Orchestra e Coro del Teatro di San Carlo (Chorus Master Marco Faelli). Sets and costumes by Hugo de Ana; lighting by Vinicio Cheli; video direction by Tiziano Mancini. Released in 2018, disc has 5.1 dts-HD Master Audio sound. Grade: NA

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Il trovatore

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Verdi Il trovatore opera to libretto by Salvadore Cammarano and Leone Emanuele Bardare. Directed 2017 by Revival Director Julia Burbank after David Bösch. Stars Lianna Haroutounian (Leonora), Gregory Kunde (Manrico), Anita Rachvelishvili (Azucena), Vitaliy Bilyy (Luna), and Alexander Tsymbalyuk (Ferrando), Francesca Chiejina (Inez), Samuel Sakker (Ruiz). Richard Farnes conducts the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House and the Royal Opera Chorus. Set and video design by Patrick Bannwart; costume design by Meentje Nielsen; lighting design by Olaf Winter and associate Nick Havell. Directed for TV by Bridget Caldwell. Sung in italian. Released in 2018, disc has 5.1 dts-HD Master Audio sound. Grade: NA

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Julius Caesar

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Shakespeare Julius Caesar play. Directed 2017 by Angus Jackson at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre. Stars Joseph Adelakun (Artemidorus/Dardanus/Cobbler), Ben Allen (Cinna the Conspirator/Titinius), Kristin Atherton (Calpurnia/Citizen), David Burnett (Murullus/Trebonius/Pindarus/Citizen), James Corrigan (Mark Antony), Paul Dodds (Metellus Cimber/Clitus), Patrick Drury (Publius/Cinna the Poet), Waleed Elgadi (Claudius/Volumnius/Soothsayer), Martin Hutson (Cassius), Samuel Littell (Lucius), Tom Lorcan (Citizen), Luke MacGregor (Popilius Lena/Strato/Carpenter), Tom McCall (Casca/Lucilius), Hannah Morrish (Portia), Anthony Ofoegbu (Cicero/Ligarius/Varro), Dharmesh Patel (Decius Brutus/Messala/Citizen), Lucy Phelps (Citizen), Jon Tarcy (Octavius Caesar), Alex Waldmann (Brutus), Marcello Walton (Flavius/Lepidus), and Andrew Woodall (Julius Caesar). Also stars Brandon Dodsworth, Kevin Greaves, Norma Julius, Natalis Koulombis, Jacq MacDonald, Shiv Sharma, Rosanna Thornwood, and Laura Wynter as Citizens of Rome.

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Ingmar Bergman – Through the Choreographer's Eye

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Ingmar Bergman –Through the Choreographer's Eye dance film directed and produced by Fredrik Stattin in July 2016 as part of the Bergman Week Festival. Features four short dance pieces (51 minutes total) inspired by the films of Ingmar Bergman and recorded on the Swedish island of Fårö at an dilapidated airplane hanger near Hammers, Bergman's home. There is also an interesting 39-minute "Behind the Scenes" bonus. The executive producers were Ingmar Bergman Jr. and Marie-Louise Sid-Sylwander of the Swedish Royal Ballet.  Released 2018, disc has 2.0 PCM stereo sound. Grade: B+

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Hamlet

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Brett Dean Hamlet opera to libretto by Matthew Jocelyn. Directed 2018 by Neil Armfield at Glyndebourne (in a World Premiere). Stars Allan Clayton (Hamlet), Barbara Hannigan (Ophelia), Sarah Connolly (Gertrude), Rod Gilfry (Claudius), Kim Begley (Polonius), John Tomlinson (Ghost of Old Hamlet), David Butt Philip (Laertes), Jacques Imbrailo (Horatio), Rupert Enticknap (Rosencrantz), and Christopher Lowrey (Guildenstern). Vladimir Jurowski conducts the London Philharmonic Orchestra (Leader Vesselin Gellev) and The Glyndebourne Chorus (Chorus Master Jeremy Bines). Set design by Ralph Myers; costume design by Alice Babidge; movement direction by Denni Sayers; lighting design by John Clark; fight direction by Nicholas Hall; produced by George Bruell; directed for TV by François Roussillon. Released 2018, disc has 5.1 dts-HD Master Audio sound. Grade: NA

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Giovanna d'Arco

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Verdi Giovanna d'Arco opera to a libretto by Temistocle Solera. Directed by Moshe Leiser and Patrice Caurier at the Teatro alla Scala. Stars Francesco Meli (Carlo VII), Anna Netrebko (Giovanna), Carlos Álvarez (Giacomo), Dmitry Beloselskiy (Talbot), and Michele Mauro (Delil). Riccardo Chailly conducts the Coro e Orchestra del Teatro alla Scala (Chorus Master Bruno Casoni). Set design by Christian Fenouillat; costume design by Agostino Cavalca; lighting design by Christope Forey; video design by Étienne Guiol; movement direction by Leah Hausman; directed for TV by Patrizia Carmine. Released 2018, disc has 5.1 dts-HD Master Audio. Grade: NA

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Thaïs

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Jules Massenet Thaïs to libretto by Louis Gallet. Directed 2008 by Stefano Poda at the Teatro Regio Torino.  Stars Barbara Frittoli (Thaïs, actress and courtesan), Lado Ataneli (Athanaël, a Cenobite monk), Alessandro Liberatore (Nicias, a philosopher), Maurizio Lo Piccolo (Paléman, an old monk), Diego Matamoros (A servant), Eleonora Buratto (Crobyle, a slave), Ketevan Kemoklidze (Myrtale, a slave), Nadežda Serdyuk (Albine, an abbess), and Daniela Schillaci (La Charmeuse, a ballet dancer).  Gianandrea Noseda conducts the Orchestra and Chorus of The Teatro Regio Di Torino (Chorus Master Roberto Gabbiani). Choreography, set, lighting, and costume design by Stefano Poda! Directed for TV by Tiziano Mancini. Sung in French. Released 2009, disc has dts-HD Master Audio 7.1 sound. Grade B+

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